Sasuke's Weakness
by missionquestthing
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura are married, but things are not what they seem. Will Sasuke let his weakness get inbetween them? SasuSaku with slight NaruHina, NejiTen and ShikaIno. SasukeXSakura SakuSasu SasuXsaku SakuXSasu SakuraxSasuke SakuraSasuke SasukeSakura


Sasuke's Weakness

By: missionquestthing (a.k.a. Nicole Nelson)

Sasuke and Sakura are married, but things are not what they seem. Will Sasuke let his weakness get in-between them?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters; this is purely a fan-made story.

A/N: Watch closely for switching view points. I will not give warning.

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**Sasuke's Weakness**

Last month was their one year anniversary, something she had only dreamed would come. But this marriage wasn't like the one in her dreams, it was colder and more distant: like two friends who just happened to share the same bed. He was kinder to her than anyone else, but she still didn't feel loved. She felt neglected and used.

It had been one year since they where married, one year and one month to be exact. One year and one month since he carried her over the threshold, one year and one month since he broke her heart. He can remember that day perfectly. He can remember it perfectly because it is always on his mind while he is awake and it haunts his dreams while he sleeps.

"Welcome to your new home Uchiha Sakura," he said as he carried her over the threshold, "Welcome to your new life." He carried her through the mansion and set her down just inside the bedroom as he reached back to close the bedroom door. He then turned his attention back to her as he planted a passionate kiss on her lips, which she instantly deepened. They walked each other backwards onto the bed without breaking the kiss. As their tongues battled for dominance, she slid her hands from around his neck down to the front of his shirt. As she began to undo his shirt he thought, 'This is it, we are married, I can do this now.' But he was wrong, he couldn't do it, not yet.

He removed his hands from her beautiful pink hair, as he broke the kiss. He then placed his hands over hers. "Sakura, stop." She looked at him with confusion written all over her face as he pinned her hands against the bed, he was avoiding eye contact. "Sakura, I can't," he said.

That was all he said to me before he got up and set on the edge of the bed. 'What does he mean that he can't? He's said that before, but that was when we where dating, when we had both agreed that sex was something that was better saved for marriage. But what about now, this was different, why couldn't he now?' "Sasuke why?" I asked.

I sat on the edge of the bed slowly buttoning my shirt back up. I was just as confused as she was. 'Why can't I take this step in our relationship? Itachi is long since dead; I love her, I know I do; and we are now married, so why can't I do this?' I was snapped out of my thoughts by her question, the question I couldn't answer, the question I most expected, the question that I dreaded most. "Sasuke, why?" She asked, the hurt evident in her voice. I couldn't answer her because I didn't know the answer myself. I couldn't look at her either, I couldn't see the hurt in her eyes, I couldn't stand to see the pain that I had caused. "I don't know, I just can't," was all I said before I got up and headed to the shower. I was guilty and I needed to think.

That was their wedding night. Since that night Sakura tried to seduce him, more than a few times, but to no avail. He would always just end up telling her that he couldn't, so finally she gave up. She has decided that maybe she was wrong when she married him, maybe he doesn't love her like she does him, and maybe he really did just marry her to rebuild his clan. That would explain it, she was a tool to rebuild his clan and her "services" were not yet needed. She tried her best to be a good wife, she tried to not let it get to her, but at times it was very difficult: times like today.

She was out with the girls. They got together once a month to go shopping and to eat. Although she always enjoyed these get-togethers, she couldn't help, at times, feeling out of place and a little jealous.

He was at a bar with the guys. They met here once a month while the women went shopping. Sasuke was much more friendly towards the guys then he was when he was younger, in fact he actually called them his friends and participated in the conversations: two things he never would have done back then. But, he wasn't always friendly; there were a couple topics that would unfailingly cause him to revert back to the old, cold Sasuke.

Naruto was late, so late in fact that Sasuke, Neji, and Shikamaru were on their third drinks before he showed up. "Hi guys!" He shouted in his usual too loud and way to cheerful demeanor. "Sorry I'm late, Hinata and I were at the medic's office," He said as the smile on his face got even larger, "Hinata's pregnant."

This announcement brought congratulations from all the guys, all the guys except for Sasuke, that is. Sasuke stared down into his drink. Hinata and Naruto had been married for five months so it was no surprise that she was pregnant. Neji and Tenten had been married for almost two years and had an eight-month-old daughter named Erlina. Hell, even Ino was pregnant and her and Shikamaru weren't even married yet! He and Sakura were the only ones left, and he hated it. He hated it because it was his fault.

The guys weren't surprised to see his sudden behavior change. He reverted back into the old Sasuke every time a pregnancy was mentioned. They figured that the couple couldn't get pregnant, although they never mentioned it. Sasuke wanted more than anything to rebuild his clan, they all knew it; so they accepted his attitude change and went about the conversation without him. What could they say to him to make him feel better, how could they ask him what was bothering him without him trying to kill him? This method of dealing with it was best and they all knew it.

Sakura couldn't believe Hinata's news. She was happy for her as she had been for all of her friends, but she couldn't help but feel jealous. Not that she necessarily wanted to be pregnant; in fact, the idea of carrying the child of a man who didn't love her made her sick. She was jealous that all of her friends were closer to their men that she was to her husband. She was jealous because they all had someone who loved them very much and wasn't afraid to show it. Sure, her and Sasuke may have sex one day, but it would only be in order to begin rebuilding his clan, not an expression of love.

All the girls knew that Sakura was depressed; she had been for some time. She may put on her usual happy façade but her eyes told the truth. Her eyes revealed her inner pain and turmoil. When they asked her about it, she always denied that anything was wrong or she claimed that she was tired. The girls tried their best to accept her excuses and act like everything really was okay but they all knew that her excuses were just that and everything wasn't okay.

"Sakura?" Hinata asked timidly

"Yes, Hinata?"

"Are you and Sasuke planning on starting a family anytime soon?"

"NO!" Shouted Sakura coldly before she excused herself from the restaurant they had been eating at.

Sasuke had to leave, he couldn't take much more of the current conversation without losing his temper. He paid for his drinks and left without saying a word to any of his friends. He now knew why he couldn't go through with it back then and why he still avoided it now; he was afraid. He was afraid to let someone get that close to him, afraid to tear down that last barrier that stood protectively between them. This was his weakness and Uchiha Sasuke despises weakness, especially his own.

He had thought, while they were dating, that he didn't want to engage in premarital sex because only the weak couldn't hold back on their desires until marriage. He knew know that it was only a front; an excuse to hid his weakness from himself and from her. He knew now that he was weaker than all his friends and his wife because he was too weak to face his fears. He knew that he should have told Sakura as soon as he himself figured it out, but that would mean admitting he was weak.

When she got home Sasuke was already there, sitting on the couch, deep in thought. She couldn't take it anymore; she had to know.

"Sasuke?" she asked as she straddled my lap, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Hn," I replied not knowing where this was going.

"Sasuke do you love me?" she asked innocently like she had while we were dating.

"Of course I do"

She seemed to have expected that answer but nothing could have prepared me for her next question.

"Are you sure you didn't just marry me to rebuild your clan"

I was shocked to say the least, how dare she question my motives! I narrowed my eyes.

"What gave you that idea?"

"Is that a no?"

"Of course that is a no, damn-it!"

"Then why won't you give yourself to me?"

I looked away, breaking eye contact. I should have expected that question; I should have known where this was going.

"I told you, I can't," At hearing this; she grabbed the sides of my face and forced me to look at her.

"If you love me then tell me why you can't." I tried to look away but she held my head firmly in place and continued, "If you won't tell me, then I am going to leave you. I'll leave you to find a man who loves me enough to actually tell me how he feels."

That statement felt like a punch in the gut, the kind that makes you nauseous and sets your head spinning. As much as I didn't want to reveal my weakness, the thought of losing her seemed much worse: my bigger weakness.

"I would rather die than lose you," I said.

"Then tell me why"

"I'm afraid"

I was taken aback, what did he mean afraid? I have never heard Sasuke admit to being afraid of anything, and I wasn't even sure if he meant he was afraid to tell me why or if his reason why was because he was afraid.

"Afraid of what?" I asked, sounding much more sympathetic than I had before.

"I'm afraid to let someone that close to me, even someone I love as much as you."

Out of all the possible answers she expected, that was definitely not one of them and it showed on her face. She closed her eyes and let my head drop. At first I looked down at my lap but then I decided to swallow some more of my pride and apologize, It was the least I could do to help atone for all the pain I had caused her.

I felt his hand enclose around mine. When I opened my eyes I saw him looking back at me. "I'm sorry," was all that he said but to me it meant so much more.

She smiled as I apologized and threw her arms around me. "Thank you," is what she said, her way of telling me that I was forgiven. I wrapped my arms around her as well. She was crying, releasing over a year's worth of pain and frustration. I really do love her. I hadn't realized until now, how distant we had become over the last year, or how much I had missed her. After almost losing her, I felt rather stupid for letting something that silly get between us. Why did I fear letting her so close to me? Holding her in my arms felt so right, I wanted to hold her closer, I wanted to show her how much I loved her, I wanted to make her mine.

I pulled away from her, wiped her tears with my thumbs, and pulled her in for a kiss.

I kissed her with all the passion I could muster, which she reciprocated ten-fold. Slowly, I laid her back on the couch beneath me before breaking the kiss and whispering breathlessly into her ear, "Sakura, I'm ready."

-Owari-


End file.
